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Ben Washam
Benjamin Alfred Washam (March 15, 1915 - March 28, 1984) was an American animator who is best known for working under director Chuck Jones for nearly 30 years. Washam worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1941 until 1962, mainly under the direction of Chuck Jones. He also worked on made-for-television cartoons in the early 1960s. After Jones was fired from Warner Bros, Washam with other animators working under Jones at Warner Bros. joined Jones at MGM; he also directed a few Tom and Jerry cartoons for release in 1967. For several years beginning in the fall of 1967 Washam, a gifted natural teacher, gladly taught animation at no charge to eager, young students in weekly classes conducted at his Laurel Canyon home in Los Angeles. He explained that "animation has been good to me and I want to give something back." Indeed he did. Many of Ben Washam's students from the late 1970s, which included Ren and Stimpy layout artist Eddie Fitzgerald, went on to lead the 2D silver age animation revival during the 1990s. Few people were better at boiling down animation mechanics into pertinent, useful methods. There were arguably better animators but none with Washam's stellar gift for articulating and communicating the principles of his craft. Washam was also a very effective cartoonists' union president, serving two separate terms. He did his last work animating commercials for Jay Ward and drawing layouts at Jones' own production company, and retired in 1979. In addition to Washam's animation skill, Jones cited him as an able writer based on a 1981 letter as quoted in Chuck Reducks. Jones credited Washam with the "thanks for the sour persimmons, cousin" line in "Duck Amuck". His animation of Bugs Bunny is easy to recognize, as he usually let Bugs' incisor teeth taper to a point. Also, he drew relatively wide cheeks and big pupils on Bugs' eyes. Another Washam trait was his tendency to nod a talking character's head. His work is best recognized by the loose connection of the core body parts, with a great deal of Hip Initiation; this led to multiple assignments of 'personality' scenes, as he could keep interest well in closeup. Chuck Jones commented on his ability to denote personality through facial cues. His work is angular in pose and fluid in movement. Washam died on March 28, 1984, aged 69. Looney Works Animator * 8 Ball Bunny * 90 Day Wondering * Adventures of the Road-Runner * Ali Baba Bunny * Angel Puss * Awful Orphan * Baby Buggy Bunny * Baton Bunny * Bear Feat * A Bear for Punishment * The Bee-Deviled Bruin * Beep, Beep * Bewitched Bunny * The Bird Came C.O.D. * Broom-Stick Bunny * Bugs' Bonnets * Bully for Bugs * Bunny Hugged * By Word of Mouse * Case of the Missing Hare * Cat Feud * The Cats Bah * Caveman Inki * Cheese Chasers * Chow Hound * Claws for Alarm * Coming!! Snafu * Conrad the Sailor * Daffy Dilly * Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special * Deduce, You Say * Dog Gone South * Don't Give Up the Sheep * The Dover Boys * The Draft Horse * Drafty, Isn't It? * Drip-Along Daffy * Duck Amuck * Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century * Duck! Rabbit, Duck! * The Ducksters * The Eager Beaver * Fair and Worm-er * Fast and Furry-ous * Fastest with the Mostest * A Feather in His Hare * Feed the Kitty * Fin 'N Catty * Flop Goes the Weasel * For Scent-imental Reasons * Forward March Hare * Fox Pop * Freeze Frame * Fresh Airedale * Frigid Hare * From A to Z-Z-Z-Z * From Hand to Mouse * Gas * Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z * Going Home * Going! Going! Gosh! * The Good Egg (Mr. Hook) * Guided Muscle * Hair-Raising Hare * Hare Conditioned * Hare Tonic * Hare-abian Nights * Haredevil Hare * The Hasty Hare * Heaven Scent * Hip Hip- Hurry! * His Hare Raising Tale * A Hitch in Time * Hold the Lion, Please * Homeless Hare * Hook, Line and Stinker * Hot-Rod and Reel! * A Hound for Trouble * House Hunting Mice * Hush My Mouse * The Hypo-Chondri-Cat * In the Aleutians – Isles of Enchantment * The Infantry Blues * Inki at the Circus * It's Murder She Says * Joe Glow, the Firefly * Kiss Me Cat * Knight-Mare Hare * A Lecture on Camouflage * Little Beau Pepé * Little Orphan Airedale * Long-Haired Hare * Lost and Foundling * Lumber Jack-Rabbit * Mississippi Hare * Mouse Wreckers * Mouse-Warming * Much Ado About Nutting * My Bunny Lies over the Sea * My Favorite Duck * My Little Duckaroo * Nelly's Folly * The Night Watchman * No Buddy Atoll * Now Hear This * Odor-able Kitty * Often an Orphan * One Froggy Evening * Operation: Rabbit * Outpost * A Pest in the House * Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike * Punch Trunk * Quentin Quail * Rabbit Fire * Rabbit Hood * Rabbit of Seville * Rabbit Punch * Rabbit Rampage * Rabbit Seasoning * Ready, Woolen and Able * Ready.. Set.. Zoom! * Really Scent * Roadrunner a Go-Go * Rocket Squad * Rocket-bye Baby * Roughly Squeaking * Saddle Silly * Scaredy Cat * The Scarlet Pumpernickel * Scent-imental over You * Scent-imental Romeo * Scrambled Aches * Secrets of the Caribbean * Sniffles Takes a Trip * Snowtime for Comedy * Spies * The Squawkin' Hawk * Super-Rabbit * Terrier-Stricken * There They Go-Go-Go! * To Duck or Not to Duck * To Hare Is Human * To Itch His Own * Tom Thumb in Trouble * Tom Turk and Daffy * Toy Trouble * Trap Happy Porky * Two Scent's Worth * Two's a Crowd * The Unbearable Bear * Unnatural History * Wackiki Wabbit * Water, Water Every Hare * The Weakly Reporter * The Wearing of the Grin * What's Brewin', Bruin? * Who Scent You? * Wild About Hurry * Wild over You * A Witch's Tangled Hare * You Were Never Duckier * Zip Zip Hooray! * Zipping Along Writer * Gone Batty Category:Animators Category:Looney Tunes Animators Category:1915 Births Category:1984 Deaths Category:Real People Category:Deceased